â€˜Council has let baths go to ruinâ€™

READING East MP Jane Griffiths accused councillors of deliberately neglecting Kingâ€™s Meadow swimming baths so they can be sold off.

Presenting a petition to save the baths to Parliament, Ms Griffiths told her fellow MPs she had concerns about the state the old Edwardian baths had â€œbeen allowed to get into by the councilâ€.

She has also written to Trish Haines, Reading Borough Council chief executive, demanding an explanation on why nothing has been done to prevent vandalism on the building.

The graffiti-covered building faces demolition if planning chiefs approve plans to turn a chunk of Kingâ€™s Meadow and Caversham Lock Island into a hotel and leisure complex.

But campaigners, who are fighting to save the baths and return them to their former glory, have gathered a 2,000-strong petition to support their cause.

And after presenting the petition to the Commons on Thursday last week, Ms Griffiths also claimed the council was not sticking to its policy of removing graffiti from its property within five days. She said: â€œThe council claims on its website it removes graffiti from council-owned buildings in five days. Why does this not apply to the swimming baths? When do they plan to remove the graffiti from the swimming baths?â€

She added: â€œHas it been reported to the police? Are the witnesses being interviewed? I have written to the chief executive of the council to find out what is being done to catch the perpetrators of this act.â€

The baths have remained unused since their closure to the public in 1974, but in recent years the Reading Sub Aqua Club diving club has been leasing the building for storage.

Council spokesman David Millward said: â€œThere has recently been some vandalism to the roof of the King's Meadow swimming building and our property management team have since carried out a survey of the structure. Unfortunately, the King's Meadow pool building has persistently been a target for graffiti and the parks department tries to keep it as clear as possible. Until such time that the future of the site is decided, the

council will continue to be responsible for the upkeep of the building.â€